GUIDE TO CIDER
Cider
One of the oldest and most natural beverages known to man. Cider was popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans, indeed the word cider is derived from the Latin 'cicera'. The Celts also produced cider extensively, as did the Bretons and Normans whose cuisines are still largely based on cider.
The traditional skills of cider-making, which have evolved through the centuries, are still used to make this natural and refreshing beverage.
Cider producers spend considerable resources to produce this high-quality product in a number of different styles. These include sweet, medium and dry; sparking and still - with cider there is something to suit everyone's taste.
Sometimes called the 'wine of this country' cider is one of the most versatile beverages. Served well chilled, it makes a delicious, refreshing drink - but it also has many uses in the kitchen, where its subtle flavour complements so many of our native foods. Soups, marinades, sauces, casseroles, pies, cakes, desserts, preserves and party drinks which can all be enhanced by the addition of cider.
Apples
The apple grows particularly well in Ireland, flourishing in both northern and southern
counties. WM Magners is Ireland's biggest purchaser of apples, accounting for a
substantial proportion of the entire Irish apple crop.
The apples chosen for cider production are unique and quite different to dessert or culinary apples. Dessert apples give sweetness and culinary apples acid, but cider also requires the bitterness of tannins to balance the flavour and help preserve it.
A total of 17 varieties of apple are grown in the Magners Orchards in Clonmel and are used to make the famous Magners brand. They are Michellin, Dabinett, Yarlington Mill, Bulmer's Norman, Tremlett's Bitter, Breakwell Seedling, Taylor's, Harry Master's Jersey, Medaille d'Or, Reine des Pommes, Ashton Bitter, Brambley's, Grenadier, Brown Thorn, Brown Snout, Vilberies and improved Dove.
The different varieties, all mature at different times of the season, i.e. early croppers, mid-seasons and lates. This allows the orchard managers to pace the harvest and produce sufficient supplies to make up a traditional blend like Magners.
Orchards
As the cider market grows, the business of orchard management has become increasingly important so that the crop will meet the required level of demand and quality.
With 17 varieties of apple to grow and harvest, the orchard manager's job has become increasingly sophisticated and staff are now employed all year round in orchard farming.
Vats
The Magners Vat House, situated in the middle of Clonmel, was commissioned in 1936 and is a cool, airy stone building housing cylindrical vats.
The majority of these vats are built in oak, handcrafted by coopers. Traditionally, the vats range from 2,000 gallons to 60,000 gallons capacity.
The apple juice ferments for eight weeks and is then drawn off from the residue into another vat.
